Throughout my career, I have given hundreds of presentations to high school students interested in applying to college. Most of the students in attendance are a year or two away from enrolling at a college. These students are craving information about the application process so they can decipher the judicious factors used in admissions decisions. I share the answer to this mystery after I conduct an exercise with them. On a board or screen, I list the criteria most often used by admissions officers to determine admissibility.
The criteria are (in no particular order):
- 9th-11th grade GPA
- 12th-grade schedule & 1st marking period grades
- Standardized Test Scores (SAT, ACT or both)
- Essay & Short Answers
- Interview
- Recommendations
- Extracurricular Activities
I ask the students to sort them by most important. When I do this survey, the students rank each criterion differently. Some students place more importance on test scores, while others see GPA as paramount. Students even question omitted criteria such as class rank, alumni connections, or athletic prowess as possibly carrying significant value. Allowing for discussions, we then take a vote and rank each requirement. No one factor dominates but the students do have strong opinions about each.
After completing the ranking, I share my secret. The cipher wheel, the decoder ring, the key to unlocking the mystery behind all admissions decisions. My answer, wait for it…everything listed is the most important. You should see the disappointment on their faces. I explain further. In my opinion, no single criterion will decide the fate of an applicant. For example, as an Admissions Dean, my department occasionally accepted applicants with slightly below average SAT scores because he/she had exceptional grades, achievements, or significant community involvement.
So how does this apply to senior year? Your senior year does matter. Your senior courses and grades influence your application. However, I have detected in my practice, and as a Dean, that many students and parents give less thought to the creation of the 12th-grade schedule. Why is this? My guess, they believe the senior year, while in progress, will not count towards the admissions decision. The notion that the junior year of high school is most consequential has become mythical, making everything that follows anticlimactic. Additionally, many students apply early decision or early action which suggests their senior grades will be unavailable to the admissions committee. Instead, they believe the committee renders their decision on the previous three years of school work. These assumptions are invalid. Let me explain.
- Senior Year Schedule – Students are required to list their final year courses on the college application, and they also appear on their high school transcript. The guidance department sends the transcript even if senior grades are unavailable.
- Request senior year grades – Admissions offices regularly request senior year grades if they are undecided about admitting a student.
- Final Transcript – The college you enroll at next fall will request a final high school transcript. The admissions department will check to confirm you have graduated and review the grades you achieved in your senior year.
What does this mean? Colleges care about your academic progression, maturation, and focus. They want to ascertain if you are as serious about your final year as the previous three. Your most selective universities choose an entering class from a high volume of applicants with stellar credentials. Therefore, you must review your senior schedule with a critical eye. For example, if you completed two AP courses in your junior year, does it seem right to take only one during senior year? What assumptions will the admissions committee make about you? You will not be there to defend your reasons; the committee will decide without your input. Furthermore, there will be plenty of applicants who are taking two, three, or more AP courses in their senior year, and if everything else is equal (it never is, but for argument sake let’s say it is), then the students who challenge themselves academically likely will be admitted.
One final note, what happens if your senior year does not turn out well? It is rare, but I had a few cases in my career as a Dean. The acceptance packet sent to all students includes a clause or footnote that reads something like this: “Let me remind you that your admission is contingent upon the successful completion of your senior year. We expect that you will keep up the high academic standards and good conduct you have maintained throughout high school.” This sentence means you risk losing your acceptance if your grades drop senior year. Even if you graduate from high school, a severe plunge in grades will jeopardize your seat in next year’s freshmen class. Unfortunately, I had to break the demoralizing news to a few families in my career. Never easy but must be done. In the end, it’s simple – senior year matters.
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